Game Score Calculator (GmSc)

The Game Score Calculator helps you measure how well your favorite basketball player performed in a match. It serves as a simple alternative to Player Efficiency Rating (PER), but it’s much easier to find. Game scores in basketball focus solely on a player’s actions and the points they score during the game. The formula for game scores includes components like field goals, blocks, rebounds, free throws, and more. Each piece has its own weight or value.

Here’s the explanation and formula used in this NBA Game Score Calculator. And if hearing about field goals makes you think about your own future goals, maybe it’s a good time to check out our Savings Goal Calculator!

What is a game score?

In basketball, a game score, originally introduced by John Hollinger, serves as a simplified form of player efficiency rating (PER) and plays an important role in basketball analysis. While PER adjusts a player’s stats based on team pace, overall performance, and league standards, a game score focuses solely on what a player does individually during a game. The calculation combines the various positive and negative components of a player’s box score to create a single value that reflects how well he or she has performed. The positive values ​​in this formula include:

• Points (P)
• Field Goals (FG)
• Free Throws Made (FT)
• Offensive Rebounds (OR)
• Defensive Rebounds (DR)
• Steals (S)
• Assists (A)
• Blocked Shots (B) or Blocks

All of these stats are added together to create a total game score. On the other hand, certain performance components have negative weights and reduce the total. These negative factors are:

• Field Goal Attempts (FGA)
• Free Throw Attempts (FTA)
• Personal Fouls (PF)
• Turnovers (T)

Therefore, the final game score is obtained by adding all positive contributions and subtracting all negative contributions, which gives a clearer picture of a player’s overall performance in a single game.

Definition – What is a Game Score?

Game Score (GmSc) is a stat created by basketball expert John Hollinger. It serves as a simplified version of Player Efficiency Rating and is based on the same idea.

The purpose of this metric is to measure a player’s overall performance in a single game. Instead of focusing solely on points, Game Score calculates every stat listed in the box score. So along with scoring, it also takes into account rebounds, steals, assists, blocks, turnovers, and other key actions on the court.

Game Score is designed for single-game evaluation. It runs alongside total points but acts as a proxy for performance. A score around 40 indicates outstanding play, and a score closer to 10 indicates regular performance.

Formula – How to Calculate Game Score

Game Score = Points + (0.4 × Field Goals) – (0.7 × Field Goal Attempts) – (0.4 × (Free Throw Attempts – Free Throws Made)) + (0.7 × Offensive Rebounds) + (0.3 × Defensive Rebounds) + Steals + (0.7 × Assists) + (0.7 × Blocks) – (0.4 × Personal Fouls) – Turnovers

Example

A player finishes with: 26 points, 6 field goals, 21 field goal attempts, 14 free throws made, 21 free throw attempts, 1 offensive rebound, 4 defensive rebounds, 1 steal, 10 assists, 1 block, 1 foul, and 7 turnovers.

Game Score (GmSc) = 26 + (0.4 × 6) – (0.7 × 21) – (0.4 × (21 – 14)) + (0.7 × 1) + (0.3 × 4) + 1 + (0.7 × 10) + (0.7 × 1) – (0.4 × 1) – 7

Game Score (GmSc) = 26 + 2.4 – 14.7 – (0.4 × 7) + 0.7 + 1.2 + 1 + 7 + 0.7 – 0.4 – 7

Game Score (GmSc) = 26 + 2.4 – 14.7 – 2.8 + 0.7 + 1.2 + 1 + 7 + 0.7 – 0.4 – 7

Game Score (GmSc) = 14.1

Explanation

This metric was created by ESPN analyst Jon Hollinger, with the goal of measuring how effective a player was in a single game using only traditional box-score numbers.

As seen in the formula section, each statistic has a unique weight based on how often that event occurs. Helpful actions on the court receive positive values, while errors or poor plays are given negative values.

Box-score actions are ranked in value rather than being treated equally, making the game score more practical and meaningful than a basic efficiency rating.

It is also designed in a way that the numbers make sense visually, similar to how we interpret points per game. A score of 40 seems unrealistic, anything around 20 is considered strong, and the scale continues from there.

Limitations

While it may seem useful across multiple games, this metric is only intended to evaluate a single game, so it’s not intended to be useful when applied to an entire season, career, or long-term statistics.

Another small detail worth noting: a player has to shoot about 57 percent of their shots from the floor to be neutral in the shooting portion of the formula.

The stats place a lot of emphasis on efficiency, but playing additional minutes can also increase a player’s overall score.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions